NABBC Judges

During a very successful 25-year career as a cornet player and conductor in the British Army, Chris King renewed his relationship with brass bands, primarily as Musical Director of the Friary Brass Band. During his tenure, the band has had repeated contest success including victory at the 2010 First Section National Championships and the 2014 Senior Trophy, London Regional champions in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. He regularly acts as guest conductor to bands in the UK, including Grimethorpe and Desford Colliery Bands.

As well as conducting Friary on a regular basis, Chris has worked as conductor in Denmark, Norway and Sweden and has adjudicated at a number of prestigious competitions including various Regional Championships, SIDDIS Elite Section, Brass in Concert, the National Championships of Great Britain and Wychavon Festival of Brass.

Chris finished his time in the Army as the Bandmaster of the Band of the Grenadier Guards in London, and now works as Director of Operations at a famous senior school in West London, where he and his wife and two daughters live. He is also a Governor of two other schools, Treasurer of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators and Chair of the Music Commission of the European Brass Band Association. With what little spare time he has left, he enjoys arranging.

Matthew Clark is a Canadian musician and former military officer who was born in  Southport, England and later immigrated to Canada with his family as a young boy. He began his  musical career in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as a Primary Reservist in 1994, and then  joined the Regular Force on euphonium in 1997. In 2021 he was appointed Commandant of the  Canadian Forces Music Training Centre and is responsible for all musician training and  individual musical performance standards in the CAF. Clark has held other key, senior  leadership positions, including the Commanding Officer and Director of Music of the Royal  Canadian Air Force Band (2016-2021), and Commanding Officer and Director of Music of the  Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy (2011-2016). He is widely recognized for his artistic  vision and deep regard for the military music tradition and has inspired many significant  collaborations within the communities that he serves. International performances and  appearances include England, France, Holland, Sweeden, Bermuda, Korea, Croatia, Bosnia and  throughout the United States.  

He has served also in various capacities throughout Canada, including Edmonton, AB  with The Royal Canadian Artillery Band, Ottawa ON with the Band of the Ceremonial Guard  and the Directorate of History and Heritage – Music.  

In addition to his service to Canada, Clark is a highly sought-after musician and has  served as a guest conductor for several ensembles, including The United States Navy Band, “The  Presidents Own”, United States Marine Band, the National Latvian Military Band, the Victoria  Symphony, the University of Victoria Wind Ensemble, and the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble. He  has also served as Director of the Wind Ensemble at the Desautels Faculty of Music at the  University of Manitoba. Matthew has produced and recorded ten full-length albums and has  commissioned new and exciting works from noted Canadian composers such as Peter Meechan,  Ian McDougall, and Robert Buckley. 

Clark’s contributions to military music have earned him several accolades, including  appointment to the Order of Military Merit in 2019 and membership in the prestigious American  Band Association in 2016. He has also received the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy  Commendation for his outstanding service to military music, the Commander Land Force  Central Area Commendation, and the Spirit of Military Families Award. 

Educated at the University of Kansas and the University of Toronto, he studied  conducting and wind ensemble repertoire with Dr. Paul Popiel and Dr. Gillian MacKay. He sits  on the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Committee (American Bandmaster’s  Association), has also volunteered his time with Cadet Honour Bands, community and school  ensembles, and served on the board of directors for the Youth Mentorship Program sponsored by  the Esquimalt Community Arts Council. He has also served as a musical advisor on the selection  board for the “Sing Me a Song” program sponsored by the Lieutenant Governor of British  Columbia. 

In addition to his conducting and leadership roles, Clark is also an accomplished  euphonium soloist. He has recorded on the Arktos Label, featured on CBC Radio and in the  British Bandsman, the longest-running international publication of brass bands. Clark was also a  featured soloist on three Royal Canadian Artillery Band recordings and was a main soloist with 

that band for 10 years. His principal teachers were Trevor Clark, Frank Harmantas and Curtis  Metcalf. 

Matthew will graduate the University of Kansas in 2025 with his Doctorate in Wind Band  Conducting.

Anne Crookston was born in Glasgow and has enjoyed a wide-ranging musical career, having been involved in choirs, brass bands, orchestras and wind bands for more the 40 years. Her earliest musical training was on tenor horn, moving to baritone aged 14. At the same time, Anne started playing oboe, later going on to study the instrument at Glasgow University, where she also conducted the Brass Ensemble, Wind Band and Orchestra before graduating with a BMus (Hons) degree in Music. 

Her brass band career began at Newmains in Lanarkshire. She moved to CWS (Glasgow) in 1986 and success soon followed when, in 1990, the band became the first from Scotland to win the National Championship title at the Royal Albert Hall. Anne moved to Whitburn Band in 1992 and remained solo baritone there until 2010, when she left to pursue a career in conducting. Following a short spell conducting Kingdom Brass, Anne was appointed Musical Director of Whitburn in 2011 and to the same positions with West Lothian Schools in 2013 and Bathgate Band in 2014. For the past three years she has worked with Newtongrange Silver band.

As an adjudicator, Anne has a wealth of experience having judged at local music festivals and solo and ensemble contests, as well as throughout Europe and North America at contests including the European Youth Championship, Siddis Brass (Norway) and regional and national events in Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, the USA and most recently becoming the first woman to judge the British Open Brass Band Championship.

Away from brass bands, Anne is Depute Headteacher at St. Margaret’s Academy in Livingston, an external verifier for the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow and has completed a Master’s degree in Education.

Eric Hjellming is the Director of Events for Drum Corps International, overseeing the planning and execution of the annual DCI tour. He is an experienced Operations & Product Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit events industry with specialized skills in event operations, program management, fundraising, and performing arts.

He has served as the President of the Indiana Symphonic Band, performed cornet in the Crossroads Brass Band, and is an active freelance musician in Indianapolis. He serves as a tabulator for NABBA, Drum Corps International and Bands of America and oversees NABBA’s cloud-based commentary and adjudication platform.

Eric holds a B.S. in Arts Administration with a Music concentration from Butler University, is a Certified Festival and Event Executive through the International Festivals & Events Association, and is currently pursuing an MBA at the Gies School of Business at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Howard J Evans, DMA, MA, Mus.B (Hons), LRAM, LTCL, ARCM (Hons) is a professional musician. As a pianist and conductor he has performed at many major concert venues throughout the United Kingdom and has undertaken many visits internationally. In his early piano career he was awarded a place on the Yehudi Menuhin ‘Live Music Now’ scheme for performers, and also won first prize at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod Piano Competition. 

Later posts held include that of National Bandmaster for the Salvation Army in the UK; Director of Music for the Salvation Army in The Netherlands, and conductor of Amsterdam Staff Band. This was followed by the role of ‘Director – Classical Performance’ at the University of Salford for a number of years. 

He has undertaken many recording projects and concerts, as a conductor, a pianist and an accompanist. He has led the Boscombe Band of the Salvation Army for over twenty-two years, and has professionally conducted a number of UK Championship brass bands. At the present time he is also the conductor of the SA German Staff Band. He has appeared a number of times at the RNCM Festival of Brass, as well as directing Jaren Hornmusikkforening and Ila Brass Band, Elite Division bands in Norway.

His adjudicating experience has seen him engaged at a number of festivals in the UK and in the Netherlands. He has adjudicated at both regional and national brass band contests, including ‘Brass in Concert’ and the ‘North American Brass Band Championships’. He has also significant experience as an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. 

Colin Holman is a Lecturer at Loyola University Chicago where he teaches music history, conducts the Symphony Orchestra  and lectures in the Honors program.   He is one of the most successful brass band conductors in the United States, winning six Championship titles, representing North America twice at the World Music Contest and leading a landmark tour of New Zealand.  Colin has been a NABBA board member, was editor of the Brass Band Bridge magazine for eight years and has guest conducted many of North America’s brass bands. He has previously adjudicated brass band competitions in the US. and the UK and enjoys planning and executing entertaining and new music concerts for brass band.

Mark Hoskins recently retired as Director of Bands at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, after 19 years and his 25th year of service in the Cobb County, Georgia, School District. He oversaw the entire band program, consisting of three concert bands, marching band, jazz ensemble, jazz combo, woodwind and brass choirs, winter guard, and percussion ensembles. A graduate of East Tennessee State University, he is in demand as an adjudicator, clinician, and conductor in the marching band, jazz, and concert band and brass band arena. His program at Wheeler was nationally recognized in those fields as well, consistently receiving superior ratings and best-in-class awards. He is a music and brass adjudicator for both Bands of America and Drum Corps International, having served as National finals judge for both organizations. He has served as adjudicator for the Dublin Festival of Brass and the Gateway Brass Band Championships. Hoskins is a member of Phi Beta Mu Honor Music Society, the Georgia Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, Jazz Education Network, and is a founding member of the Minority Band Directors National Association. 

In demand throughout North America and internationally as an adjudicator and clinician, Professor John Phillips will serve as the Judge Administrator for the 2025 NABBC.  In recent years Phillips has adjudicated the US Open, The Gateway Brass Band Championships, Dublin Festival of Brass, The U.S. Masters, and the North American Brass Band Association Championships. Throughout his career he has contributed to numerous initiatives with Music For All including the National Concert Festival, the annual Summer Symposium, and the Bands of America Grand Nationals. He is a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician. He recently served as Artistic Coordinator for the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and taught at Florida Gulf Coast University. Prior to moving to Florida, he was on staff at the University of Western Ontario, where he conducted the Symphonic Band and taught conducting and music education classes. He previously taught at the University of Toronto and York University in the departments of music and education. Phillips has adjudicated music festivals and events in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Indonesia. He regularly guest conducts honor bands across Canada and the United States. For twenty years he conducted the Wind Ensemble at the National Music Camp of Canada and has been a guest conductor at the International Music Camp. Phillips has served as Judge Administrator for Drum Corps International since 2000, and was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame, Class of 2015. He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario where he received undergraduate degrees in Music and Education. He pursued a Masters Degree in Music Education at Boston University, a PhD in Ethnomusicology at York University, and holds an Artist Diploma in trumpet performance from the Western Conservatory of Music. He received awards of distinction for conducting from the Ontario Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, the Southern Ontario Band Festival, and an Honorary Life Membership from the Ontario Music Educators’ Association.  As a trumpeter, Phillips performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, Brantford Symphony and the Forest City Brass Quintet. He spent two summers at the Banff School of Fine Arts under the leadership of the Canadian Brass, studying with Fred Mills and Ronald Romm. 

Paul Norley began his musical career at the age of eight, learning to play the cornet and, later, tenor horn with the Devon based Totnes Band. In 1982 he joined the Army immediately on leaving school, enlisting into the Band of The Junior Leaders Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps; it was here that he learned clarinet, saxophone and violin. On completion of training he joined the Regimental Band of The First Royal Tank Regiment and was posted to Germany. During this period he served with 5 Armoured Field Ambulance in the first Gulf War. In 1994 Paul was posted to The Band of The Royal Lancers. Prior to this he enjoyed two years as musical director to the Hungerford Town Band. In 1996 he was selected to attend the Bandmaster’s course at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, graduating in 1998 with prizes for instrumental performance and composition. He was also awarded a Licentiate Royal School of Music Diploma in Bandmastership and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music. During his time at Kneller Hall he became Musical Director of Thames Brass. In January 2000 Paul Norley took up position as Bandmaster of the Band of The Light Division, the first Bandmaster appointment of the new millennium. Whilst in this post he studied with the University of Salford and was awarded the Licentiate Diploma in Brass Band Adjudication. In 2004 he graduated from the Open University with a Masters Degree in Classical Studies and was also awarded the Licentiate National College of Brass Diploma in Conducting. A Staff Appointment saw him become the Training Design Team Warrant Officer at Headquarters Corps of Army Music, Kneller Hall. In his spare time he enjoyed a run of contest successes as the Musical Director of Verwood Concert Brass. He is a member of the National Association of Brass Band Conductors and was accepted as a member of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators in 2004. Paul was commissioned as Captain in 2006 to become the Director of Music of The Band of The Royal Irish Regiment. Upon the disbandment of the Regular Band in October 2007, The North Irish Territorial Army Band was renamed and equipped as The Band of The Royal Irish Regiment (TA), he was appointed as its first Director of Music. This was followed by appointment as Director of Music of The Band of The Kings Division, based in Weeton, Lancashire in 2008. During this year he accepted the post of Musical Director to the National Youth Marching Band, an ongoing and immensely rewarding role. He was promoted to Major and appointed as Officer Commanding Training Development Team, Headquarters Corps of Army Music, Kneller Hall in September 2010, acting as the Chief Examiner and Testing Standards Authority for all the musicians in the British Army. A further move in 2013 saw him become Director of Music of The Brigade of Gurkhas, successfully delivering the musical and ceremonial backdrop to the celebrations of 200 year’s Gurkha service to the British Army. He returned to Kneller Hall in 2016 as Staff Officer Plans for the Corps of Army Music. 2019 saw him appointed as Director of Music of The Band of The Coldstream Guards; he retired to civilian life in Devon from this prestigious appointment in 2021. This same year he was invited to become President of the Traditional Marching Band Association (TYMBA). Delighted to accept, he now finds himself involved with Youth Marching Bands across the whole of the UK. He regularly adjudicates at various Brass Band Regional Qualifiers and is also in demand at numerous local contests across the UK and overseas. Happy to step ‘outside of the box’, he often undertakes workshops and masterclasses for both bands and conductors.

Allan Withington has been one of the world’s leading band conductors over the last 35 years leading some top-class ensembles to artistic and competition success. He has received many awards for his work throughout an array of different countries. In addition, he was a member of the trumpet section of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway for 40 years. 

With the same orchestra, and over a period of ten years, he created a large selection of family concerts concentrating on the ‘cross over’ element of the different cultural organisations available in a very culturally alert Bergen. Here, his message has always been to entertain, enlighten and inform three different generations of orchestral concert going audiences. He has either conducted, written or produced these concerts and often been responsible for the whole process.

He has also written historically based musicals for small orchestral ensemble, choir and dance groups which have been performed as out-door spectaculars in the South-West of France.

In June 2018, his one-hour long dance performance based on the life of Coco Chanel, was premiered at the Bergen International Festival. The show was narrated and presented by two ‘life size puppets’ as they parodied two Swiss Bankers.

“Il Maestro – in the name of Art” was written during the pandemic lock-down and was premiered in May 2021 in Stavanger. This time he took to the stage as both composer, soloist and actor himself. In collaboration with three contemporary dancers, they explored leadership and how it can be misused.

His latest show was performed by Carlton Maine Frickley Colliery Band at the Brass in Concert at the Sage Concert Hall in Gateshead. This show was based on the life of Anna Franck during World War 2.

September 2024, Allan is conducting Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in 5 concerts featuring the “Sustain” group. Through a one-hour long show, they explore, criticise and enlighten the sustainability of Planet Earth.

He has conducted and recorded with the Norwegian contemporary music ensemble Bit 20 and directed Sjøforsvarets Musikkorps, the professional military band based in Bergen, Norway on various occasions.

Various professional engagements around Europe have included an appearance as conductor with the brass and percussion section of Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich, in a spectacular Christmas concert.

In addition, Allan leads his own International Conductors’ Summer school in Leeuwarden, Holland.

He has a deep-seated desire and passion to create and perform new ideas or simply re-tell old tales in a new light.

His appearances as conductor for the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in his own productions have given him exposure to a wide variety of musical styles. From a full programme of music to celebrate the anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a programme of contemporary music featuring composers John Adams and Michael Doherty. Dance music has become an important part of his repertoire and he has conducted Classical ballet, Riverdance and Contemporary dance with the Bergen based dance company Carte Blanche. Light classics and the many arrangements, featured in Allan’s concert productions, have provided a great base from which to expand his repertoire. Many years as a professional player gives him a great understanding of the workings of an orchestra and the usually limited rehearsal time associated with these events suits Allan’s effective and efficient way of working.

At the moment, he is professional conductor of the Carlton Maine Frickley Colliery Band, England, chief-conductor of Manger Musikklag, Norway and musical adviser for the Valaisia Brass Band, Switzerland.